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From the kinetics of the reaction of ethylene oxide with aqueous ethanol and methanol, catalyzed by perchloric acid, the relative basicities of water, methanol, and ethanol have been determined. The value of K1in the expressionhas been found to be 1.2 × 102for methanol and 2.1 × 102for ethanol, in good agreement with previous values.

THE effects produced by the recent thunderstorms are so interesting and instructive that I think it worth while to record the results of investigations which I have made personally or had made for me.

IN a short note in the Phil. Mag., 1872, vol. xliii. p. 343, Prof. C. A. Young has recorded a curious instance of “after-image,” which seems to me to be of the same order as that observed by Mr. Shelford Bidwell, and recorded in NATURE, (vol. xxxii. p. 30). I quote from Prof. Young's note, which is named “Note on Recurrent Vision,” a few lines, which will show what his observation was:—

A COLLECTION of 1,400 conodonts collected by one of us (G. N.) in the course of a regional study of the Upper Silurian of Shropshire was submitted to the other (F. H. T. R.) for identification. Among these were found twelve fragmentary specimens not included in the fauna described by Rhodes1from the Aymestry Limestone. These represent Kockelella variabilis Walliser, originally recorded from the Silurian of Germany (from the Rheinisches Schiefergebirge, basal Orthocerenkalkes of Frankenwald and the Cardiola Horizon of the Karnische Alps2). The genus has also been reported from the Province of Malaga in Spain3, the Lower Ludlovian of the Regganne area of southern Algeria4and the Silurian of the Tindorf Basin of the Spanish Sahara5. Ziegler6considered the species a good index for rocks of Middle Ludlovian age, but Walliser7showed it as characteristic of the Lower Ludlow. It therefore seems useful to record and illustrate the occurrence of the present specimens, which suggest an extension of the known range of the genus, even though the specimens are too fragmentary to provide any new morphological information.

I HAVE frequently observed this phenomenon. The first time I saw it was on April 8, 1852, when I saw it here at sunset, and on April 11 I saw it at sunrise when I was in the Irish Channel, near to Port Patrick, where I was laying a submarine cable.

MR. BOTTOMLEY, in his paper on this subject in NATURE vol. xxi. p. 159, refers to experiments made four years ago, but if he refers to the Philosophical Magazine, vol. xxvi. 206, 1845 he will find a notice of an experiment made twenty-four year ago. It occurred thus:—A barrel of pitch, with one end partly knocked out, had been lying in the yard exposed to the sun for some months, and a part of it had run out on the ground.

SOME years ago I brought three glow-worms from Wales to London, and at night I put them on the grass, when all showed their lights ; but on looking for them a short time after, one had nearly disappeared, and on searching for it my hand came against something cold, and on taking it to the light I found it was a snail—one of those which just now are very common—about 1½ inches long by ¼ inch diameter, and of a sandy colour. The brute had swallowed the glow-worm, and I could see the light shining inside!

THE Nova Aurigæ was observed on the night of September 14, with the Newall telescope, under favourable circumstances. It was almost exactly equal in brightness with the star 85″ nf; which of the two was brighter it was difficult to say, because of a peculiarity noted below, but its magnitude may be taken as close upon 10.3.

MR. LEDGER (p. 246) need not have had any doubt about the correctness of the information sent him by his friend about currents running from the sea into Cephalonia. It is a well-known fact, and the following account of it is from Dr. John Davy's “Ionian Islands,” published in 1842, vol. i. 164:—

IN NATURE of November 20 (p. 66) you give an account of the finding of some relics of the Jeannette, which have been picked up on an ice-floe at Julianhaab, in lat. 61° N., long. 46° W., near the south point of Greenland, and which must have drifted from the New Siberian Islands in lat. 75° N., long. 155° E., where the Jeannette was squashed three years ago. This I consider a most important find with regard to Arctic navigation and discovery. The question arises, How did the ice-floe get to Julianhaab? I propose the following solution. The Siberian Islands bear nearly due north from Julianhaab, and in a straight line up Davis's Strait, Baffin's Bay, Smith's Sound, Lincoln Sea. &c., and across at a distance of about 250 knots from the Pole. I think it most probable that the floe may have drifted through “the unknown,” or what Osborn calls “the land of the white bear,” the large unexplored area to the west of Banks's Land, and have got into Baffin's Bay through one of the sounds on its west coast—either by Jones's Sound, where the tide runs eastward at the rate of two knots an hour (“Inglefield,” p. 77), or by Banks's Strait and Lancaster Sound.

ON Thursday morning, December 3, I was in bed awake, between 6 and 7 o'clock. I heard a slight clattering noise of the earthenware and glass articles on the marble top of the washstand. It lasted for about three seconds, and went……… … with a slight halt near the end. There was no one moving in the house, and nothing outside to cause the tremors, which I did not feel in bed. I immediately got up to look at the clock, and found it was 6.45. I do not know at what time the earthquake in Algeria took place, possibly there was some connection between the two, and the tremor may have been felt in other places in England, so I record this.

I WAS one of a deputation of River Tyne Commissioners who visited the South Foreland, to see the experimental lights now on trial there, on Saturday night, August 30. We were walking across the fields from the lights towards the observing hut No. 2, a distance of about a mile and a half. There was a fog more or less, and a shower of rain as we were approaching the hut, and every time the electric light from A tower revolved, a rainbow, very like a faint lunar bow, made its appearance. I could not see any prismatic colour, and the bow was only produced by the large electric light, with carbons of 1⅛ inch in diameter. There was no bow visible from the old light, which has carbons of about ⅜ inch square, and none from either the gas or oil lights. I was informed that this was the first time such a phenomenon had been observed.

I AM reminded by Mr. Grove's statement at p. 314 (that he has seen three repetitions of the spectrum within the primary) of a splendid rainbow, which I saw at the Falls of the Handeck, near Meyringen, last summer.

THE nature of chromatic correction adopted for visual telescopes is uniform enough to make it possible to state what kind of photographic plate is desired for use with such telescopes.

ON October 5 the Nova Aurigæ was again observed under favourable circumstances, and the observation as to precautions in focussing necessary on account of chromatic aberration of the refractor was amply verified. [NATURE, September 22, p. 489, in which note two corrections shonld be made eighth line, for “varying” read “ranging,” and fourteenth line, for “(?F)” read “(?G)”] The line near C was distinctly seen at times; but the blue and violet lines observed on September 14 were not seen; the three green lines were very distinct.

WHEN writing on this subject I thought my facts might be questioned, but I did not expect they would be so distorted as they have been by Mr. McLachlan at p. 219.

SIR DAVID WEDDERBURN'S inquiry (NATURE, vol. xxi. p. 417) reminds me of my experience on this subject. Many years ago I was examining an apple-tree, when a wasp alighted on a leaf which formed a caterpillar's nest neatly rolled up. The wasp examined both ends, and finding them closed, it soon clipped a hole in the leaf at one end of the nest about one-eighth of an inch in diameter. It then went to the other end and made a noise which frightened the caterpillar, which came rushing out at the hole. It was immediately seized by the wasp, who, finding it too large to carry off at once, cut it in two and went off with his game. I waited a little, and saw the wasp come back for the other half, with which it also flew away.